Major: Biology & Psychology –
Bio: I’m a senior at Austin College originally from Plano, Texas. I have been on the AC women’s soccer team for the past 4 years and became a captain for my senior season. I am also the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, a class representative on the Student Assembly, a tour guide for the school, and a little sister for the fraternity Pi Alpha Psi. I was recently invited to join Beta Beta Beta, the National Biological Science Honors Society, and Psi Chi, the International Psychology Honors Society. I have worked in Dr. Barton’s lab as a research student since the end of the summer of 2016. After graduation, I plan on attending medical school and pursuing a career as a doctor.
Research: My trip to the ASCB conference was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my time at Austin College. I would never have thought I would be attending a biology conference as an undergraduate mush less presenting some of my own research at one. Not only was it satisfying to have all of the work I had put into the research over summer rewarded with the opportunity to share it with others, but we were able to use the conference as an opportunity to learn more about the subject and even gain some new ideas to consider moving forward. The conference also presented us with the opportunity to meet other biologists. It was exciting to talk with both scientists who were my age and scientists with much more experience. The highlight of my trip was when our poster actually won an award in an undergraduate poster competition. This was a great way to begin the conference and set a positive tone for the rest of our trip. Each day I was eager to learn as much as I could and, of course, to explore San Francisco a little when there was time. By the end of the trip, I had gained not only new knowledge about the field in general but also an invaluable educational experience that I will help me reach my career goals in the future.